Variable feeding mechanism for knitting pile fabric



c. F. MILLER 3,495,422 VARIABLE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTINGVPVILE FABRIC Feb. 17, 1970 4 Sheets -Sheet 1 Filed March 12. 1968 INVENTOR CHARLES E MILLER v BY ATTORNEY Feb. 17,1970 F. MILL .ER I 3,495,422

VARIABLE mnnmeumcnmirsu FOR KNITTING FILE FABRIC Filed March,l2, :l968 4Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHARLES E MILLER VARIABLE FEEDING xEcHANISm Foa KNITTING lP ILB mama Filed llaz ch 12. 1968. I 4-Sheet s-Sheet :s

39 52 5: so I l l .mvzmoa CHHRLESEMILLER 02m (F W ATTORNEY "Feb. 17,1970 I 3,495,422

I YARIABLE FEEDINGIECHARISM ogxnflfln'' PVILE. FABRIC- 4. Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 12 1968 INVENTOR CHARLES E MILLER.

BY am 0 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,495,422 VARIABLE FEEDING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING PILE FABRIC Charles F. Miller, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to North American Rockwell Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 712,422 Int. Cl. D04b 9/14 US. Cl. 669 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for driving the carding and needle cylinders in separation from individually driven drafting roll sections, including three variable speed motors with independent gearing actuated thereby.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to a knitting machine arranged for producing pile fabric and more particularly to improved means for feeding tufts of pile fibers from two sources in sliver form to the needles of the machine. The improved means are adapted to present the tufts of fibers from each source separately or in combination at variably controlled rates for producing a wide range of patterned and blended effects.

In circular knitting machines for pile fabric it is well known to affix so-called carding heads about the machine at each yarn feed. The carding heads have performed the functions of drafting the sliver or roving as it was supplied and of carding the fibers for presentation to the needles. Many of these heads, as with the instant invention, have been dual-operating, in that, two strands of sliver may be separately processed and alternately delivered upon the carding rolls. In most cases in the prior art power for driving the carding heads has been fromthe main driving ring gear so that all rotative speeds of the carding head components have been relative to the speed of the needle cylinder. To effect changes in the speed of any one portion required the substitution of sprockets or gears and could only be accomplished by machine shut-down. This did not permit the use of speed changes to obtain variations in density and weight of the tufted fibers, nor for blending combinations for unusual effects.

With the disclosure herein, two additional ring gears are provided and all three gears are independently driven by variable speed motors each of which may be preset manually for operation at desired relative producing speeds or variations in such speeds may be effected during a knitting cycle by known patterning devices which will initiate control of individual motors throughout a considerable speed range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides selective driving means for a circular knitting machine having a plurality of dualoperating carding heads whereby the top feed roll sections of all the carding heads are driven by a first ring gear and the bottom feed roll sections of all the carding heads are driven by a second ring gear. A third ring gear drives the needle cylinder, together with the card and doifer cylinders. Each ring gear is controlled independently by its individual variable speed motor.

It is the general object of the invention to provide mechanism whereby the dual feed roll sections of a carding head may be separately driven at variable speeds independently of the needle cylinder.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a single variable speed drive for all of the top feed roll sections and a second such drive for all bottom feed roll sections.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a variable speed motor for driving the needle cylinder and carding cylinders in separation from the feed roll sections.

It is a further object to provide means for automatically controlling changes in relative speeds between the upper and lower feed roll sections and the card dofiing roll.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as further details are disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described by referring to a specific embodiment as shown in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a carding head with the gearing of the invention in section;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation showing motor and gearing for driving the needle cylinder and carding cylinder as taken on line 33 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation similar to FIG. 3 but showing the gearing for driving the bottom feed roll sections as taken on line 4-4 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 showing gearing for the top feed roll sections as taken on line 5-5 in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of a circular knitting machine showing the location of the three variable speed motors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a circular head ring 20 is shown in section to establish the location of the invention upon a Well known type of pile fabric knitting machine. A rotatable needle cylinder 21 carrying a row of independently operable needles 22 is supported within the ring 20 in the usual manner. It is not believed necessary to illustrate the known machine in further detail but to state only, that a plurality of carding heads, generally designated 23, may be positioned in angular separation about the periphery of the needle cylinder 21. The carding head 23 comprises an upper feed roll section having three pairs of fluted intermeshed drafting rolls 24, 25 and 26 and a lower feed roll section with similar rolls 27, 28 and 29. Each feed roll section will process a separate supply of fibers in a drafting action whereby the fibers of either supply, or the combination of both, may be presented at the feeding end of the sections in predetermined quantities. The preferred embodiment in the drawing has two feed roll sections, but it is deemed feasible to provide carding heads having more than two feed roll sections and other drafting arrangements might be substituted for fluted rolls without departing from the inventive concept.

Each carding head 23 carries a carding cylinder 30 in a position to accept the fibers from the feed roll sections and to transfer them to a doffing cylinder 31 fixed in a contacting relationship. The needles 22, in a raking movement, will each take a tuft of fibers from the doffing cylinder and knit in a manner Well known in the art.

In pile fabric knitting machines it has been conventional to drive the numerous carding heads by means of interchangeable gears in mesh with the main ring gear for the needle cylinder. Rotating speed was in all cases relative to that of the needle cylinder and changes could only be made by replacing gears or chain sprockets. No changes could be effected during machine operation. A second known driving mechanism involved an individual variable speed motor for each feed roll section of each carding head in addition to the main driving motor for the knitting machine. As well as adding greatly to the overall cost of the machine, a number of motors such as this would require constant attention to maintain proper relative speeds between all upper and all lower feeds. 7

In the instant invention three variable speed motors provide complete patterned control for the upper and lower feed roll sections in separation from the, needle cylinder and the cooperating carding and doffing cylinders. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, a main motor 32 of a variable speed type is used for operation of the full knitting functions of the machine in addition to rotating the carding cylinders 30 and doffing cylinders 31. The motor shaft 33 rotates within a reducing gear box 34 which rotates an upwardly extending shaft 35 having a spur gear 36 keyed at its upper end. The gear 36 meshes with two idle gears 37 and 38 fixed in radial alignment and supported for free rotation. The idle gear 38 rotates the cylinder ring gear 39 to which the needle cylinder 21 is securely fastened in a manner well understood.

A second variable speed motor 40 is attached to the machine similarly to the motor 32 and angularly offset therefrom as shown in FIG. 6. The motor 40 drives through a reducing gear box 41 (FIG. which rotates a shaft 42 having a spur gear 43 keyed upon its upper end. The gear 43 meshes with two meshed idle gears 44 and 45 fixed in radial alignment and freely rotatable. The idle gear 45 when rotated will drive a second ring gear 46 which encircles the needle cylinder 21 and lies just below the first ring gear 39. The second ring gear 46 will be controlled independently for variable speeds by the motor 40 through the connecting gearing just explained.

A third variable speed motor 47 is similar to the motor 40 and is attached to the machine as shown in FIG. 6. Motor 47 drives through a reducing gear box 48 (FIG. 4) which rotates a shaft 49 having a spur gear 50 keyed upon its upper end. The gear 50 also meshes with two idle gears 51 and 52 which are meshed together and in radial alignment. The gear 52 will drive a third ring gear '53 which encircles the needle cylinder 21 and lies in a plane below the second ring gear 46. The three ring gears 39, 46 and S3 overlie each other in a concentric relationship while being individually rotatable at variably controlled speeds.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the base plate 54 of the carding head 23 supports a vertically positioned shaft 55 having keyed upon its lower end a cylinder drive pinion 56. The pinion '56 is in mesh with a toothed portion 57 of the ring gear 39. At the upper end of the shaft 55 is fixed a bevel gear 58 for providing relative motion to the carding cylinder 30 and dofi'ing cylinder 31 by any suitable driving connections (not shown) as for example, interchangeable sprockets and link chain.

A vertical shaft 59 is rotatably supported by the base plate 54 and carries on its lower end the lower feed roll drive pinion 60 which meshes with and is driven by the ring gear 53. Another vertical shaft 61 somewhat shorter than shaft 59 carries an upper feed roll drive pinion 62 which meshes with and is driven by the ring gear 46. These two drive pinions 62 and 60 actuate the upper and lower feed roll sections by the variable speeds of the motors 40 and 47, respectively. The shaft 59 drives a bevel gear 63 which meshes with a second bevel gear 64 fastened to the shaft 65. At the outwardly extending end of the shaft 65 is keyed a sprocket 66 for driving a link chain 67 which in turn rotates another sprocket 68 keyed to a shaft 69. The shaft 6.1 drives two bevel gears (not shown) similar to the bevel gears 63 and 64 and thereby rotate a shaft 70 and a sprocket 71 (FIG. 2). The sprocket 71 provides power through a link chain 72 to a sprocket 73 keyed to a shaft 74. The shafts 74 and 69 will drive the pairs of drafting rolls of the upper and lower feed roll sections respectively by means of gearing (not shown) well known in this art.

The three ring gears 39, 46 and 53 of the invention will be driven by the variable speed motors 32, 40 and 47 which can be controlled with any pattern control to allow gradual speed changes through any desirable range. A number of carding heads 23 may be placed about the machine as at the locations 75 indicated on FIG. 6. Each of the upper feed roll drive pinions 62 of the various carding heads 23 will mesh with the ring gear 46 and each of the pinions 60 with the ring gear 53. By this means all the upper feed roll sections will be simultaneously controlled by the variable speed motor 40 and all lower feed roll sections by motor 47. With this invention positive control of all upper feed roll sections is possible 1 independently of all of the lower feed roll sections which are simiarly controlled. A separate variable speed drive for the needle cylinder, carding and doffing cylinders, permits unlimited variations in density and weight of the fabrics providing possibilities in pelt effects and color blending not possible with prior machines.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable needle cylinder, a circular row of independently operable needles carried by the cylinder, a plurality of carding heads, each of said carding heads having a carding cylinder and a dofiing cylinder for feeding pile fibers to said needles, an upper fiber feed roll section, and a lower fiber roll section, a first driving means for providing rotative motion to said needle, carding and dofiing cylinders, a second driving means for operating one of said feed roll sections of all of said carding heads simultaneously including a first independently controlled variable speed motor, a first ring gear surrounding said needle cylinder and rotatable by said first motor, and a plurality of driving pinions meshing with said first ring gear, one of said pinions being operatively connected with said one feed roll section of each one said carding heads, and a third driving means for operating the other of said fiber feed roll sections of all of said carding heads simultaneously.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said third driving means includes a second independently controlled variable speed motor, a second ring gear rotatable by said second variable-speed motor, and a plurality of driving pinions meshing with said second ring gear, one of said pinions being operatively connected with said other feed roll section of each one of said carding heads.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said first and second ring gears are arranged in overlying concentric relationship upon said knitting machine and wherein said carding heads are positioned in angular separation about the periphery of said needle cylinder for mutual operation of said carding heads by said first drive means and operation of said one and said other of said feed roll sections of said carding beads by said first and second ring gears, respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,188,834 6/1965 Radtke. 3,248,902 5/ 1966 Radtke. 3,269,147 8/1966 Radtke et a1. 3,299,672 1/1967 Schmidt.

FOREIGN PATENTS 780,662 8/1957 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner 

